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1 Mose 13

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1 Und Abram zog herauf aus Ägypten, er und sein Weib und alles, was er hatte, und Lot mit ihm, nach dem Süden. (S. die Anmerkung zu Kap. 12. 9)

2 Und Abram war sehr reich an Vieh, an Silber und an Gold.

3 Und er ging auf seinen Zügen vom Süden bis Bethel, bis zu dem Orte, wo im Anfang sein Zelt gewesen war, zwischen Bethel und Ai,

4 zu der Stätte des Altars, den er zuvor daselbst gemacht hatte. Und Abram rief daselbst den Namen Jehovas an.

5 Und auch Lot, der mit Abram zog, hatte Kleinvieh und inder und Zelte.

6 Und das Land ertrug es nicht, daß sie beisammen wohnten; denn ihre Habe war groß, und sie konnten nicht beisammen wohnen.

7 Und es gab Zank zwischen den Hirten von Abrams Vieh und den Hirten von Lots Vieh. Und die Kanaaniter und die Perisiter wohnten damals im Lande.

8 Da sprach Abram zu Lot: Laß doch kein Gezänk sein zwischen mir und dir und zwischen meinen Hirten und deinen Hirten; denn wir sind Brüder!

9 Ist nicht das ganze Land vor dir? Trenne dich doch von mir! Willst du (W. Wenn) zur Linken, so will ich mich zur echten wenden, und willst du (W. Wenn) zur echten, so will ich mich zur Linken wenden.

10 Und Lot hob seine Augen auf und sah die ganze Ebene (Eig. Kreis, Umkreis; so auch v 12) des Jordan, daß sie ganz bewässert war (bevor Jehova Sodom und Gomorra zerstört hatte) gleich dem Garten Jehovas, wie das Land Ägypten, bis nach Zoar hin.

11 Und Lot erwählte sich die ganze Ebene des Jordan, und Lot zog ostwärts; und sie trennten sich voneinander.

12 Abram wohnte im Lande Kanaan, und Lot wohnte in den Städten der Ebene und schlug Zelte auf bis nach Sodom.

13 Und die Leute von Sodom waren böse und große Sünder vor Jehova.

14 Und Jehova sprach zu Abram, nachdem Lot sich von ihm getrennt hatte: Hebe doch deine Augen auf und schaue von dem Orte, wo du bist, gegen Norden und gegen Süden und gegen Osten und gegen Westen!

15 Denn das ganze Land, das du siehst, dir will ich es geben und deinem Samen auf ewig.

16 Und ich will deinen Samen machen wie den Staub der Erde, so daß, wenn jemand den Staub der Erde zu zählen vermag, auch dein Same gezählt werden wird.

17 Mache dich auf und durchwandle das Land nach seiner Länge und nach seiner Breite; denn dir will ich es geben.

18 Und Abram schlug Zelte auf, und kam und wohnte unter den Terebinthen Mamres, die bei Hebron sind; und er baute daselbst Jehova einen Altar.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #1568

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1568. That 'the land was unable to bear them, that they might dwell together' means that the things which belonged to the celestial internals could not remain together with the former ones, that is to say, with those things meant here by 'Lot', is evident from the following considerations: 'Abram', as has been stated, represents the Lord, and at this point His Internal Man, while 'Lot' represents the external, and at this point the things that had to be separated from the external Man, with which things internals could not dwell together. In the external man there are many things with which the internal man is able to dwell together, such as affections for good and the delights and pleasures arising from them, for those delights and pleasures are the effects of the goods of the internal man and of his joys and happiness. When these are the effects they correspond perfectly, for in that case they belong to the internal man and not to the external man. For an effect, as is well known, is not the product of an effect but of an efficient cause. Take, for example, charity: when this shines out of the face, it is produced not by the face but by the charity within that so controls the face and produces the effect. Or take, for example, the innocence seen in the expressions on small children's faces, in the ways they act, and so in the games they play with one another: that innocence does not belong essentially to their expressions or actions but is derived from innocence from the Lord which flows in through their souls. Thus their expressions and actions are effects; so also with every other example taken.

[2] From these considerations it is clear that many things exist with the external man which are able to dwell or accord with the internal. But there are also many things which do not accord, that is, with which the internal man is unable to dwell, namely all that streams forth from self-love and love of the world; for everything resulting from these loves regards self or the world as its end in view. With these, celestial things that go with love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour cannot agree, for celestial things regard the Lord as the end in view, and His kingdom and all that belongs to Him and His kingdom similarly as ends. The ends which self-love and love of the world have in view look to things of a more external or lower kind, whereas those which love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour have in view look to things of a more internal or higher kind. From these considerations it becomes clear that they are too discordant ever to remain together.

[3] To know what produces a correspondence and agreement of the external man with the internal and what produces disagreement one has only to reflect on the ends, or what amounts to the same, on the loves by which one is ruled; for people's loves constitute the ends they have in view, indeed whatever is loved by them is looked upon as an end. Such reflexion will show what one's life is really like and what it will be like after death, since it is from a person's ends, or what amounts to the same, his ruling loves, that his life is formed. The life of each individual is never otherwise. If the things which do not agree with eternal life, that is, with spiritual and celestial life - which is eternal life - are not removed during a person's lifetime they have to be removed in the next life. But if they are irremovable that person is bound to be unhappy for ever.

[4] These things have now been mentioned so that it may be known that in the external man there are things which agree with the internal and things which do not, that those which do agree cannot possibly remain together with those that do not, and also that those things in the external man which do agree come from the internal man, that is, from the Lord by way of the internal man; as for example, in the case of a face radiant with charity, or a charitable face, or in the case of the innocence seen in the expressions on the faces and in the actions of young children, as has been stated. The things which do not accord however belong to man and his proprium. From this one may know what 'the land was unable to bear them, that they might dwell together' means. Here, in the internal sense, the Lord is the subject; and since the Lord is the subject so also is every likeness and image of Him, namely His kingdom, the Church, and every member of that kingdom or of the Church; and therefore here the things residing with men are presented. These same things that resided with the Lord before He overcame evil, that is, the devil and hell, by His Own power, and so became celestial, Divine, and Jehovah even as to His Human Essence, must be seen in relation to His state at that time.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.